Qutlet box



'Apfil 5 ,1927. 1,623,537

o. A, FREDE'RIcKsoN OUTLETv BOX' Filed Feb. 28, 1925 ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 5,' 1927.

CONNECTICUT.

'.PATENT.

OTTO A. rBEDEmcxsON, OF'wETHEasr-IELD, CONNECTICUT, AssrCNOn To THE ICAN wmmronn COMPANY, or HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION-` Orf OUTLET BOX.

Application filed February 28;, 1925. Serial No. 12,9l30.

This invention relates to electric outlet boxes of the type which are constructed to be secured against the Wall or ceiling of a building.

6 Outlet boxes of this type are extensively used to enclose and'support socket plugs, electric light sockets and other fittings, and are also vused to support suspended electric feed wires.

It has been proposed heretofore to provide an outlet box consisting of a substantially cup-shaped casing which is open at its base, and has an integral reduced neck at its upper face constructed to embrace the protruding portion of an electric light socket or other fitting mounted in the casing. ,The

different ty es of fitting now in common use vary cons1 erably in size and shape, and it has therefore been necessaryheretofore to 2 provide a differently shaped casing for each different type of fitting. But it is requentl necessary-to install any one of several di ferent types of fittings, inwiring a house or other building, and it has therefore been necessary heretofore to keep on hand a large assortment of fittings and outlet boxes.

In order to reduce the amount of equip-- ment it is necessary to keep in stock, the parts Should be standardized as far as practical, and an important feature of the present invention, therefore, resides in the .novel construction by which a single standard casing may be used in installing any of the different types of fittings.

In carrying out the present invention, the. standard casingis not provided with a re'` duced neck that is constructed to fit a particular type of fitting as heretofore, but the casing is constructed to receive differently 4 shaped cover plates, the necks of which are constructed to fit the different fittings. In this .manner an desired type of fitting may be secured in t e standard casing, and then the ap ropriat'e cover plate having the prop- 45 erly s aped neck is secured tothe casing.

' Furthermore, by providin the removable cover the screws which. ho d the casing to the baseplate may be entered in the base much more readily than heretofore.

Other features of the invention reside in the shape and construction of the casing and base plate, by whichcondults may be readily' secured to the casing, and in the .construction by which the different cover plates may be readily secured'to andremoved from the casing.

The .various features of the invention and novel combination of parts will be best understood fr oin the following description and accompanying drawings illustrating a good practical form' of the invention.

In the drawings-'- f Fig. l is a perspective view of a casing constructed in accordance with the present inventionand having one type of fitting mounted therein.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a cover plate for the casing and fitting of Fig. 1.-

Fig. 3 is a sectional view thro h the casing of Fig. 1 and cover with the fitting omitted.

Fig. is a perspective viewlof and fitting ofvFig. 1 with the cover plate in plaBge. ig. 5 is a perspective view of the cas1ng of Fig. 1, provided with the rosette ofcoverplate. V`

Fig. '6 is a perspective view of the casing of F1g..l provided with a third type of cover plate.

plate of ig. 2,

the 4casing Fig. 7 isa different perspective view of Fig. 5 showin@ a conduit which is designed to be `used with the casing;

Fig. 8 is avbottom lan view of Vthe'oiutlet l -bo(x, showing the con uit secured tothe box; an

Fig. 9 is a sectional View taken on the linev The standard casing 10 which is adapted to receive the different types of fittings is shown as somewhat cup-shaped, and the casing is open at its base and is provided at' i its upper face with an inwardly extending annular flange l1.

The open base of the casing 10 is closed by the base plate12 and the base -plate is preferably provided with projecting lips 1,3 which fit notches 14 formed 'in the base of the casing.l The base plate fits within thel hase of'- the casing and is positioned therein by the lips 13, while screws 15 extending through the annular flange 11, and aving threaded lengagement with the ba plate secure the latter inl lace. l

The casing 10 an lbase plate 12 are standard and any one of a number'of different types-of fittings may be secured 1n this standard casing'. uIn Fig. 1 the fitting; 16

` plug cap (not shown) provided with blades which are inserted in the slots 17. The plug base 16 is secured within the casing 10 by the screw 18 having Athreaded engagement with the hole 19 in the base plate, and a similar screw serves to'secure other types of fitting in the standard casing 10.

The 'cover plate 20 shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4, has a neck 21 provided with a central opening which lits the protruding end of the fitting 16. Thel cover plate 2O rests upon the upper face of the annular flange 11 and is shown as having the key-hole slots 22 adapted to receive' the headed screws 23 which are screwed into the flange 11. As a result of this form of securing means, the differently shaped cover plates may .be readily secured to and removed from the cas- .ing 10.' i

The cover plate 2li-,of Fig. 5 is of the rosette type and is used when no fitting is mounted in the casing 10, but suspende wires are led out through the opening 25.

The cover plate of Fig. 6 has a relatively long neck 26 to receive the internally threaded typeof fitting 27 which is adapted to receive the threaded base ofv an electric light.

In installing the outlet box of the present invention, the base of the casing 10 is placed against a su porting surface such as a wall or ceiling o a. room and is secured to such surface by headed screws extending through the holes 28 of the base plate into the surface.

Current may be supplied to the outlet box by insulated wires 29 enclosed in the metal conduit 30. The conduit 30 is shown as consisting of a U-shaped cover having spaced grooves 31, 'and a cap. 32 the opposite edges of which extend into said grooves. It is desirable to project the end of the conduit 30 into the casing 10 and the casing is therefore provided with the knock-out portions 33 formed in the wall ofthe casin andv removable to form the opening 34. our knockout portions 33 are provided to accommodate this number of conduits. As a resultof this construction, when a. knock-out portion 33 is removed, the supsporting notch for the adjacent lip 13 is a o removed, thus permitting the base plate '12 to be forced into tight clamping engagement with the conduit 30 upon tightenin the thru screws 15.

The openin 34 as a configuration to con-V form to the s ape of the conduit and -is postioned so that the base or wall engaging face of the conduit lies approximately flush with the base of the casing 10, and in order to firmly secure the conduit to the casing the base plate 12 is provided with tongues 35 one opposite each knock-out portion 33, and formed by cutting the slots 36 in the base plate. These tongues are shaped to enter the grooves 31 of a conduit as it is inserted in the casing, and since the tongue fits tightly in the grooves against the cap 32, a firm connection is secured.

From the foregoing it will be seen that different types of fittings may be mounted in the casing l0, whereupon the proper cover plate for the fitting used is selected and secured to the casing by engaging the keyhole slots 22 with the screws 23. In this manner a standard casing may be used in installing the various diilerent types of ttings. Furthermore, since the casing 10 has a relatively large opening at its upper fa'ce, the screws 15 which secure the asm to the base plate may be guided in'tofthe t readed holes of the baseV much more readily than heretofore.

combination, an open bottom casing for receiving dierently shaped fittings and having a wall and an inwardly extending flange at its top face, a knock-out portion formed in the wall of the casing and removable to forma conduit receiving opening, a base plate constructed to lit within the open bottom of the casing 'and provided with a tongue having means en aging the bottom of the wall when" a kno -out portion is in place and englaging a conduit when the latter is inserte in a knock-out o ning, and securing means extending from t e inwardly extending flange to the base plate and adapted to force the base plate into clamping engagement with the conduit.

2. An electric outlet box, comprising in` a combination, an open bottom casing for receiving differently shaped fittings and having a wall and an'inwardly extending flange at its top face, knock-out portions formed 1n the wall of the casing and removable to form conduit receiving openings, a base plate constructed to fit within the open bottom of the casing and provided with tongues each constructed to engage the bottom of a knock out portion when said portion is in place' and adapted to engage a conduit when the conduit is inserted in a knock-out opening, and securing means extending from the nwardly extending flange to the base plate of the casing an removable to form an rtion formed in a vwall' lio opening to receive said conduit, an integral tongue formed upon the base plate and uit. when the latter is inserted the adapted to fit snugly inthe grooves of the Y con manges? knock-out openin and means for securing the base plate to t e casing by forcin it into rm, clamping engagement with t e conduit. *L 'i 4. A cooperating conduit and outlet sisting of an U-shaped cover having spaced grooves and a 'cap secured in ,said grooves, an outlet box consisting of an open bottom casing having'a wall and an inwardly extending flan atfits top face, a base plate for closing t e ybottom o ening of the casing, a knock-out portion ormed in the wall of the casing and removable to form an openin to receive said conduit, a tongue forme upon the base plate, and adapted to fit snugly in the/grooves of the conduit when the latter is inserted in the knock-out opening, and thru bolts extending from said flange to the base plate for securing the latter to the casing'in clamping engagement with the conduit.

5. A cooperating conduit and outlet box,

bei; f' comprising in combination, a conduit con-.

comprising, ,in combination, Va conduit formed with opposite spaced grooves adapt- 2 v at its top face, a knock-out portion formedv in the wall of the casing and removable to form a conduit receiving opening, a base plate constructed to fit wlthin the open bottom of the casing and provided with a tongue adapted to en age the bottom of the knock-out portion w en said portion is in place and constructed to enter the spaced grooves of the conduit when the conduit is lnserted in the knockout opening, and securing means extending from the inwardly extending lane tothe base plate and adapted to force the ase plate into clamping engagement with the conduit.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this s ecification.

O O A. FREDERICKSON. 

